Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computing systems. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to an improved approach to deploying software to computing systems.
Discussion
In computing system and information technology (IT) environments, there is a growing need to reduce software deployment complexities. For example, software deployments may be increasingly dependent on hardware types, operating system, middleware and other applications. Software deployment may also involve complex configuration and integration for high availability and redundancy. In addition, the advent of Web 2.0 and dependence on third party providers for mashable software services may have created further challenges. Software deployments in this environment, for example, can become error prone, and time consuming. These challenges can impact an organization's ability to go to market quickly with new approaches, could increase labor costs and may reduce productivity. Moreover, customers typically do not have expertise in the deployment characteristics and requirements for complex applications. Indeed, they may often expect the software vendor to provide the deployment expertise in a simple and consumable form to the customer.
Most solutions to these challenges may typically address the creation of metadata and packages but do not address the skills gap that may exist. Some examples of software deployment being offered as a service in order to bridge the gap might include anti-virus updates, patch updates and updates to desktop products. These capabilities, however, may typically be limited to updates, which can require minimal knowledge of system and topology dependencies. Accordingly, there remains considerable room for improvement with regard to software deployment.